House OKs bill to set slag standards for highways

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives has approved a bill to require PennDOT to set statewide standards for the use of steel slag in highway construction.

The House approved the measure 182-13 on Tuesday and sent it on to the Senate.

Slag is an industrial byproduct of steel production. Proponents say it’s been used for road construction in Pennsylvania for decades as an inexpensive building material. That also keeps it out of landfills.

But some PennDOT districts in western Pennsylvania have banned the use of slag on grounds it has contributed to road failures. Proponents say science-based standards are needed to ensure that slag continues to be used wherever it is appropriate.